GUEST POST - SOMETHING OR OTHER ABOUT WINE - by JMS

By Kinga Dinnyes - noiembrie 25, 2017

(sketch by JMS)

A BIT OF HISTORY
According to current theories, the first way to make wine was just to simply leave some grape juice in the bottom of a pot and let it ferment, the lazy way to do it.
Around 11000-8000 BC, when Homo sapiens settled down, we most likely started to process wine, and by we I mean all of you who enjoy wine, and me who just drink it.
The oldest wineries have been found in Armenia, dating from around 4100 BC, but we can assume wine has been made much longer than that, after all we were health freaks even back then, more or less.
Being from Sweden I tried to find out when we started to drink wine, but that was not so easy. Seems we prefer to drink it without actually making any historical notes, we can probably blame that on our healthy drinking culture, less is never more.
Swedes drank wine in the middle ages, and in Denmark there have been some wine related finds dating back to 400-700 AD, so one can assume you would have found a drunk Swede back then, drunk on wine that is.

LETS TALK ABOUT BOTTLED WINE

The oldest unopened bottle of red wine is the Speyer wine bottle. Discovered in 1867 and dating back to 325-350 AD. One would assume that this wine is not a taste sensation, but nevertheless it is pretty impressive. The perfect wine to go with some fast food, if I would give a culinary suggestion, which I probably should keep to myself.

So what could we mere mortals get when we are talking about red wine. Well how about a Chateau Lafite 1865? In 2014 you could get a bottle for a mere 4650 dollars, quite a bargain don't you think?

But we do deserve the better things in life, so maybe a Chateau Lafite 1787 would suited our refined palates better. Get your 160000 dollars (2014), pop down to the corner shop and get a bottle, and why not order a pizza, but make that a cheaper one, don't want to blow your food budget. 160000 dollar is not that much for a fine wine that comes with a guaranteed headache the day after.

But if you are on a real budget, how about a Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Tempranillo for a mere 8 dollars (2015)? It goes well with oysters I have been told by a man that passed me by before he passed out.

EXECUTED BY WINE

1478: George Plantagenet was allegedly executed by being drowned in a barrel of wine (lets assume it was red).

SOME POETRY

So lets end this wine related article with a poem by Li Bai (701-762 AD)

From a pot of wine among the flowers
I drank alone. There was no one with me —
Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon
To bring me my shadow and make us three.
Alas, the moon was unable to drink
And my shadow tagged me vacantly;
But still for a while I had these friends
To cheer me through the end of spring.…
I sang. The moon encouraged me.
I danced. My shadow tumbled after.
As long as I knew, we were boon companions.
And then I was drunk, and we lost one another.
…Shall goodwill ever be secure?
I watched the long road of the River of Stars.

EPILOGUE

So this is about it, a choppy travel through wine, written by JMS for you, yes I am looking at you!